Is Skyrim's Next DLC Called Dragonborn?

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim developer Bethesda has filed another trademark related to the open-world RPG. With their latest filing, they're hope to claim ownership of the term "Dragonborn."

"Dragonborn" is a key phrase in Skyrim's lore. It refers to a person able to speak the language of dragons. The player character is one such person. By using certain dragon shouts, they can unleash devastating power in battle. Bethesda previously trademarked the most well-known of these shouts, "Fus Ro Dah."

The trademark app (spotted by Fusible) applies to "computer game software for use with computers and video game consoles" as well as "downloadable computer game software offered via the internet and wireless devices." It's possible that this is the name of a future DLC pack for Skyrim. It's less likely, but still possible, that Dragonborn is the name of an all-new game.

Bethesda announced the Dawnguard, the first DLC for Skyrim, in April. Even though they haven't released Dawnguard yet, they've probably done at least a little planning for later add-ons. Dragonborn seems as good of a title as any for a new Skyrim adventure.

If Dragonborn is the name of the second DLC pack for the game, we probably won't hear anything about it until later in the summer. Bethesda hasn't even detailed Dawnguard yet. They plan to release more information on that DLC at E3.

It could be that Bethesda's trademark is simply a preventive measure. This mark would stop another company from capitalizing on Skyrim's popularity by releasing a medieval RPG called Dragonborn with a similar look. No one, to my knowledge, has expressed any interest in doing this but that's lawyers for you. They're an awfully paranoid bunch.